Causes Of Poverty In South Africa

There are various examples that personify the face of poverty in South Africa that can be seen in our lives in South Africa on a daily basis. Poverty within South Africa can be said to have been caused by historical events such as Apartheid, to name one. Although poverty is such a big issue within South Africa, there have been interventions to try to reduce poverty both in the past and recently, but not all of these interventions succeeded in their goal, as many failed.

Poverty can be defined as the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support. The face of poverty within South Africa can be seen on a regular basis within our lives as South Africans. The poor living conditions can be seen in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape, which is situated close to the highway and thus can be seen by everyone who drives past. The poorly built houses and shacks with limited electricity and running water that are found in Khayelitsha personify the face of poverty in South Africa. Poverty can also be witnessed through the beggars that are found at traffic lights, who do not have enough money to support themselves, let alone their families.

The greatest historical cause of poverty in South Africa has been Apartheid, as it discriminated against people of colour and did not give them the opportunities that they deserved. This can be seen through the statistic that almost 95% of poor South Africans are black. Apartheid led to an escalation of the other causes of